Metallic
by labrinthine
Summary: The villain of this story isn't bad. He may be sick and hurting, but he wasn't -isn't- a bad person. One of Finns friends has gone bad, and Finn has to take him down before he becomes to much of a risk. Major character death near the end. Warnings: death, mild language, blood, adult themes. Humanized
1. A long story

A man sat on a park bench leisurely, his gaze upturned towards the canopy of branches and leaves. You approach cautiously. This is your favorite reading spot, and you're not gonna let this creep keep you out! You take your seat, content to ignore this man, but he speaks anyway. You do your best to tune him out.

"blahblahblahblah" he just won't stop talking! Even your ability of ignoring is failing you in the presence of this formidable foe!

"-as this whole big fiasco, and It was actually really sad but when you read the papers it makes me out to be some kind of hero for-" What is he talking about? Sad? Hero?

"What are you talking about?" You halfheartedly shove your bookmark in your book and turn towards him more.

He smiles, "Didn't you hear me? My name is Finn McMissle."

Realization washes over you like a shock of cold water, "Finn! McMissle! Oh wow it's such an honor! You were so heroic-"

He lets out a snort and turns away from you, "Of course..." He mutters under his breath, clearly aggravated.

You blink, taken aback by his rude behavior, "What?" You ask sharply.

"You're just like the rest! Here I am, a normal person, and your praising me for- for what!? Killing someone!?" He huffs, attempting to get his breathing under control.

Your wide-eyed, "You saved everyone."

he stared at his hands for a long moment, "I couldn't save him."

Finn stands to leave and you reach out, touching his wrist and he stills.

"Why was he so important?" Your voice is quiet, barely audible in the echoing silence.

"It's..." He lets out a frustrated huff, "It's a long story."

You look around at the stillness of the clearing and observe the trees, reaching up for sunlight and burrowing down for life. Do you really want to know? Do you really want to take the time to learn the story of a broken hero? Do you want to know what causes the bags beneath his eyes, and the subtle shakes to his hands? What if you said no? He'd leave this clearing and go god knows where, and you' finally be able to finish your book. Then you'd do what you always do, you'd get up and walk home. Stop at that little restaurant at the end of the street for take out and head up to your apartment where you'll watch some mind-numbing TV show until you pass out only to wake up, get dressed, go to work and wonder about Finn McMissle.

"I've got all the time in the world."

He sits back down slowly while trying to find a starting point. He stares at open air for a while, opening and closing his mouth like a fish, confusion clouding his eyes.

You wait patiently.

Finally his eyes light up and he looks you straight in the eye, "Before I tell you this story, I want you to understand something. This is very crucial piece of information, okay?" You nod, "The villain of this story isn't bad. He may be sick and hurting, but he wasn't -isn't- a bad person."

He swallows thickly and runs his hand through his hair, "I guess you could say it started the way most things in Radiator Springs started- with Mater."

* * *

**Hello everyone! Here I am with another story! This one will be more Finn centered than Fanatic, and some things mentioned here might be from my one shot 30 seconds, but you don't need to read that to understand this!**

**There will be a major character death at the end, I'm sorry! On the other hand, can you guys figure out the villain of this story? And No! It's not Mater.**


	2. perfect

And Mater hadn't been trying to hurt anybody, he never was. It had been an accident, and Finn never blamed him for anything.

Siddeley had been trying to show Mater some of the basic controls to his jet in case of an emergency, but Mater hadn't really been listening. The controls were intricate and bright, some lightning up when Siddeley pushed certain buttons, and some flickering. It had been quite distracting and entertaining for his short attention span, and Siddeleys words went through his mind like water through a strainer. Finally Siddeley had pushed himself back and gestured for Mater to give it a try, but Siddeley was not stupid, and had before hand disabled all the explosives in case Mater hit the wrong switch (Which he did several times). Finn had warned him Mater probably wouldn't take the time to listen and learn, but Siddeley actually did manage to teach him several simple things, like how to turn the plane of and off, how to lower the ladder, easy things like that, and so what if he flicked a few of the wrong buttons? Siddeley put them all correct again anyway.

All except one.

It was an honest mistake, and maybe he wouldn't have missed it if Mater hadn't kept pushing and turning more, but that's beside the point. All that matters is that one button was still pushed.

The transmitter button, used to signal where the plane was in case of capture. CHROME knew not to go out and see what was happening because Siddeley contacted them ahead of time to inform them of his actions. They were sure it would go off once he realized it was on, but Siddeley had already left the cockpit with Mater who had been insisting he try one of Flo's frosted donuts (She had made them that morning, and could heat one up for him if he asked nicely.)

But the transmitter stayed on.

That wouldn't have been such a big deal if one specific super villain hadn't figured out what frequency CHROME was on, and even that wouldn't have mattered much if this specific villain wasn't searching for Finn, or didn't have one of Finn's closest friends. No, everything would have been fine if he hadn't had him.

So and angry Professor Zundapp ordered his lackeys to take him to the coordinates of the transmission. He knew exactly who's plane that was, and he knew exactly what he wanted from Finn McMissle. Oh, and how thankful he was that he hadn't killed his prisoner when he had the chance! Of course, now he was working on changing that prisoner to bend to his will, but he would still be a perfect subject to lure out all of Finn's secrets. It was perfect!

Absolutely perfect.

Or so he thought. He did not seem to remember that Finn had Holley and Siddeley and even Mater on his side, all he knew was that Finn would never let someone die if he could stop it. Especially if that someone being threatened was special to him... Say, someone he knew from the academy? a long time friend? Maybe some one who Finn thought was dead? oh, but who could ever fit in all those categories!?

Leland Turbo.

Of course, of course! Leland Turbo! But wasn't he dead? Didn't Professor Z crush him up? Maybe that's what he wanted you to think. He crushed up his car, but kept Leland Himself in a cell, away from prying eyes. He was going to kill him, but decide it would be so much more _fun_ to break him down and build him up again. He wanted to tear away everything about justice CHROME had pressed into his brain and replace it with evil ideas and dark thoughts. Zundapp could use a sidekick, and who better than a well-trained traitorous spy?

And as he began to try and change Turbo, his thoughts went to Finn McMissle, and how badly he wanted revenge. Finn McMissle was the cause of every bad thing to happen to him! He thwarted his and Axelrods' plan (with the help of that ridiculous tow truck driver, Mathers, or whatever his name was) and got him thrown in jail! It was a good thing he was smart, and he escaped in record time, finally able to return back to his base where his minions waited for him. He may be small, but watching everyone of them follow his orders instantly made him feel larger than life. So he decided he would ask for the codes to CHROME storage units in Germany, they contained several thousand dollars worth of inventions and machinery he had built for his stereotypical world-domination plans. and If Finn didn't tell him, he'll just Kill Leland in front of him.

He spotted a flaw in his plan almost immediately. Killing Leland eliminated his safety, as soon as he was dead Finn would attack and drag him back to jail once again. Or even worse, Finn might kill him. he needed leverage, so he wouldn't kill Leland... Maybe torture him while Finn watched? But there was always a chance that Finn could save him! He had to stop thinking about it. He was over thinking this as he over thought everything. He had to be unexpected! He had to be spontaneous! If Finn expected anything it wouldn't be for him to make split second decisions without forethought, it was perfect.

Absolutely perfect.


	3. captured

Wind whipped dust into the air and cars cleared out of Radiator Springs in record breaking time. They could recognize trouble when they saw it, and this thing was definitely trouble. It was a large jet plane, bigger than CHROMEs and far more intimidating. It was painted black and had a walkway equipped on the side so you could walk out onto it without having to go lower to the ground. Finn, Holley, Siddeley, Mater, and, surprisingly, Lightning went out to investigate. They waited for the plane to land before venturing out farther than the edge of the sidewalk, Finn leading them and Siddeley the farthest behind. As soon as they made it close enough the door opened and out stepped a smug Professor Zundapp, whos smile only widened at the comical look of shock on Finns face. Apparently no one at CHROME had taken the time to tell him he had escaped!

"Finn McMissle!" He called out, voice carrying across the sudden silence as the engines were cut. Finn chose not to respond, it'd save much more time that way.

"Not going to respond? Fine! I won't tell you then!" He turned to leave, smiling wickedly as Finn called out for him to wait.

"Tell me what?" He could hear the hint of skepticism, but listening deeper you could make out a layer of curiosity.

Zundapp spun around with a mock gasp, "You don't know? Well, why don't I _show_ you?"

The doors to the plane opened again and two Lemons dragged out a unconscious and slightly bloody body. Zundapps grin grew watching every emotion play across Finns face. He may be trained to hide them, but right now, in the face of his best friend, his shields had fallen revealing the shock and sorrow clearly. His mask shifted back in place, turning his face to stone and his eyes to ice.

"Let him go." Maters eyes widened. He'd never heard Finn sound this angry. This... Dangerous.

"Ah, ah, ah!" He heard the promise for a slow death in Finn's voice, and did not want to meet him in battle, "I have a little question to ask you! What are the codes to CHROMEs' storage facility in Germany?"

"Which one?" Finn diverted, trying to come up with a way to save his friend.

Zundapp patience snapped, "_Do not play dumb with me, McMissle!_ Answer me or I will have to do something rash!"

Finn knew he wouldn't kill Leland, he needed him. The moment he was dead he would attack, so what could he possibly do? "I will not tell you the codes."

Like a switch turning Zundapp was calm again, a hint of sadness on his face, "I wanted to be civil about it..." He turned to one of the lemons holding Leland and barked out a few orders, they disappeared inside the plane. "I'll give you one last chance..." his voice was soft, as if coaxing a child to give him back his keys, "Tell me the codes."

Finns voice was just as soft, "No."

All hell broke loose.

Lemons dropped from the plane by the dozen with the same war cry on their lips as the last, "Get Mater!"

Lightning, having heard the cry, crouched into a defensive position next to his friend. He knew he didn't stand a chance against the horde coming, but if they were going down then they were going down swinging. As the first of many attacked, Lightning was immensely grateful for the self defense classes he had Finn teach him, but as they bore down on them he began to take more and more hits. He wouldn't be able to hold them for long.

Finn was doing his best to fight through the fray to reach them, and was getting shockingly close, Professor Zundapp was getting nervous. If they couldn't get mater then they would never stand a chance at getting the codes.

_Be spontaneous_, he reminded himself.

"If you can't get one, get both!" He shouted over the railing, the gears in his head began to spin, calculating all possible consequences of his decisions. He shut the process down quickly, no time to think. Only action.

The lemons, having heard their leader, changed their fighting style and took Lightning and Mater down quickly, dragging both on board and away from Radiator Springs. Professor Z had already shut himself back inside the plane and was giving out orders immediately. The plane's engines turned on and as soon as they were able, all lemons were pulled back in and they were gone.

In the aftermath there was only silence as they took in what just happened.

Finn had chased after the plane for a few seconds before dropping to his knees in defeat.

Leland was alive! But Zundapp had him, as well as Mater and Lightning. Zundapp had done something Finn had never expected. He hadn't thought. That was the down fall of his every battle against Finn, his need to calculate out every possibility and figure out the best decision is what Finn relied on to defeat him. Without that things were a lot more complicated. Where could he have taken them? There's no telling. He could have done the smart thing and taken them to one of his bases in Germany, but there's no telling anymore!

What was he going to do?

"Finn." Holleys' voice jerked him out of his thoughts and he glanced up at her.

"Oh Holley." He whispered, starring at her red eyes and broken smile.

How could he be so insensitive? He rose up and wrapped his arms around her as her form began to shake with tears. They both knew how brutal Zundapp could be when he wanted something, and who's to say he won't do something horrible to Mater? Who's to say he won't decide to just kill him? He held her close and kept a lid on his own tears, and that's when Siddeley caught his eye. He was moving slowly towards the V8 cafe. His movements almost mechanical and disjointed as he pulled open the door. Finn watched through the clear glass as Sally fell to her knees, agony written all over her face.

Finn felt raw and unwhole and just a little bit lost.

"I killed him..." Holley whispered, pulling away from Finn to look him in the eyes, "If I had never met him-!"

He pulled her closed and ran his hands through her hair soothingly, starring at Sallys crumpled form through the window, "We'll get them back, I swear we'll get them back."

* * *

**I'm in a really cars mood today, and I've got a ton of free time to write for you guys. I'm just really into this, and am super excited for the plot twist so yeah!**


	4. saved

Two weeks.

They were in his clutches for two weeks when Finn busted in to save them.

Two weeks they had been interrogated, beaten, and bloodied for the information they might hold.

And then the building collapsed.

The plan has been a simple get in and get out, but Zundapp had been wary of things like this, and had set several booby traps. Finn avoided the first 5, but stepped on the 6th(whose existence astonished him, Zundapp always used 3 or 5, he hated even numbers)and one bomb ha gone off, creating a domino effect of destruction. eventually the structure of the building was weakened too much to hold and the whole thing came down. After miraculously avoiding injury, Finn signalled his back up to help clear the rubble and get him and his friends out. After unearthing what seemed like the entire building, they found the prisoners, who were blessedly unconscious. If they had been awake, they would have been feeling their injury's. Leland had his forearm trapped under a large piece of concrete, and Lightning's left foot was stuck as well. Mater had been missed by the falling rubble for the most part, he did have a horrible looking bump on his head though.

After airlifting the three to the nearest hospital, they seemed to be healing well, but due to patient-doctor confidentiality Finn wasn't told the extent of their injures. It was quite obvious Lelands and Lightnings, because as soon as he walked in to visit them he noticed a distinct_ lack_ of body parts that had been there before. For the most part they were healing well physically, but psychologically?

There was something wrong with Leland, and definitely something wrong with Mater. Lightning and Leland were, of course, showing the usual mood swings for their situations, but Leland and Mater were... darker. Angrier, almost. Mater didn't smile as much and he often caught Leland staring at him with contempt and even hatred in his eyes. When Finn had been sneaking int his hideout, Finn had over heard Zundapp boasting about how good his sidekick plan was going, and how soon enough he'd have a trained spy on his side, but he had also talked about breaking the tow truck driver and the racer, and if that was true why didn't Lightning act as dark as they did?

On the day before they were scheduled to leave, Finn decided to ask him about it.

"My family moved around a lot, and we'd always live in the bad side of towns, y'know, the places people would clutch their purses a little tighter, or carry pepper spray while checking their mail... Anyway, Professor Z was trying to convince us to do bad things, and if we refused he beat us." He scratched the back of his head, "It wasn't all that different, I mean, don't get me wrong there were a lot of good people where my family was, but a lot of local gangs hung out around there. I wasn't a big kid, and since I was white they'd try and get me to steal stuff for them. Basically they would try to get me to do bad things, and when I refused they'd beat me up."

Finn was surprised at all the information he was willingly sharing, and he didn't stop there, "So I guess I was just used to it? Maters' back story isn't that tragic, really. His mom and dad died when he was 20, which sucks, but he had a relatively easy childhood. It was smooth riding, and his naive nature makes it really easy to manipulate him... And Leland, he's tougher than both of us, but he'd already been there for a long time... Months, even, and he'd only just begun to break."

Worry laced Lightnings eyes, "We went through hell together, and it was kinda my job to keep everyone together. Leland... I tried Finn, but he _broke_. He gave into Zundapps coaxing, he played along! And when he was thrown back in with us he was basically comatose, lost in his own mind. I didn't know what to do, I was so scared, Finn. Leland broke and Mater wasn't far behind... So I did something rash."

Fear wormed it's way into Finn's mind. What could he have possibly done?

"I made Zundapp mad."

And Finn froze. All thoughts slowed and wrapped around those words. Making Zundapp mad was about the worst and best thing he could have done. On one hand, it drew his attention from Mater and Leland, on another hand it drew his attention to you. He would be harsher, and less inclined to give you time to heal.

"Oh." He said simply, to taken aback to attempt to form anything more coherent than that.

Lightning turned his head away from Finn and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day out, opposite of how he felt inside.

"He got better." he whispered gently, "He became more active when they stopped coming for him as much. He ate more. I did my best."

"I know." Finn soothed quietly.

He turned towards him suddenly, face serious and eyes dark, "He's still broken, Finn. He's still comatose. Who ever that Leland is in there, he isn't who you used to know. Zundapp got through to him, Zundapp changed him. He doesn't have that sense of justice he used to have. He's dark, an honestly he might not be able to be saved, and you have to accept that Finn. You have to know that if it comes down to it, you'll have to do the right thing."

Finn felt sick. He knew he would have to do the right thing! He didn't need Lightning to tell him that!... But was it so bad to not want to? He knew Leland for years. He was his best friend. His most trusted confidant. He didn't want to kill him, he didn't want him to turn traitor. He didn't want a lot of things.

Finn stood up and turned to go, but his hand hung on the door knob for a long time as he tried to figure out something to say. Something to end the conversation with.

He opened the door and left, letting it have the last word with a quiet but solid _click_.

* * *

**yea enjoy**


	5. Prosthetics

On they way back to Radiator Springs, Siddeley decided it would be a good idea to stop at CHROME, and after talking to Finn about it he was soon landing on the runway pad on CHROMEs Arizona location.

They filed out one by one, Siddeley first followed by Mater, then Leland, and Finn had taken it upon himself to push Lightning along even though he insisted he could do it himself. Following Siddeley down a maze of winding paths the came upon a room without a label, which Mater thought was weird but shrugged it off when Siddeley explained it was so only true CHROME agents could find there was around. After unlocking the door with a pass key it was revealed that room was a weapons room. Guns, knives, bombs, toxic gas pellets lined the walls on both sides an Lightning shot Finn an uneasy glance before casting a cautious look at Leland.

As they had been on their way home, mater had perked up considerably, and with Holleys constant nurturing he got a lot better. Leland only seemed to get worse. His mood dramatically worsened and he snapped more and more, and Finn kept catching Lightning giving him sympathetic looks. The whole situation was frustrating, to say the least.

They were curious for Siddeleys reason bringing them here as the began the long trek up the corridor and into a small circular room. It's walls were also lined with various dangerous things, but Siddeley ignored those altogether and opened up a small chest before pulling out two boxes. The set them on the small table provided and opened them up, revealing two prosthetics inside. Leland immediately jumped forward, excited to put something there. He felt off balance without the weight. Lightning was a little more subdued, but excitement shown in his eyes.

Siddeley pulled out Lelands' first, "This is a prototype prosthetic, and we would be able to attach it to your nerves, which would make it just like you had your hand back."

Leland nodded eagerly and reached out for the bundle in Siddeleys hand, and when he gave it to him he almost dropped it. Peeling away the cloth he stared in confusion at the material it was made out of.

"Metal?" He asked, "I thought prosthetics were made from plastics?"

Siddeley nodded, "They are, but yours is much more advanced than average. We're making it functional, and as far as I know that is one of the only two in existence. It may not work, but do you want to take the chance that it will?"

Leland nodded determinedly, he wanted his had back, "Of course I will."

Siddeley nodded before pulling out the other prosthetic, "Sorry, Lightning, this one isn't real fancy. It's just a regular prosthetic."

Lightning shook his head, "Don't apologize, it's fine" He smiled at him, but Siddeley could read the disappointment in his eyes.

Of course he was disappointed, who wouldn't be? Leland had just gotten a new hand, and Lightning just got a regular Prosthetic... but he couldn't complain. It was a prosthetic, and It was free, so he dealt with it smoothly. Besides, it wasn't so bad! At least he would be able to walk around again. It was humiliating having people push him around in his wheelchair constantly.

"How do I put it on?" He asked

"Oh! yeah, sorry. Finn could you help him with that?" Finn nodded, "Cool, Mater? Could you help me get everything ready for Leland's surgery? I've already informed the doctors here, but they want us to come help set up."

The trio left, leaving Finn and Lightning alone. Taking the blanket off his legs, lightning rolled up his pant leg and watched as Finn began to get everything in place. Lightning shifted his weight several times, he was uncomfortable with someone being so close to where his leg used to be. The closer someone was the more phantom pains he had. Finn could sense his discomfort, and tried to speed up his process.

"So, what did Zundapp do to you guys? You said that Leland played along, but what does that mean?" He had been trying to keep Lightning from thinking about his legs, but this probably wasn't a better topic.

But Lightning seemed happy for the topic, "He'd tie us to a chair, usually, and set up a situation. Like, you'd be walking down a street and you see a woman being mugged in an alleyway, you know if you intervened you could save her and her money. We all choose to save her, every time, but we weren't supposed to. We were supposed to turn our heads the other way and leave."

Finn nodded, "But sometimes it was like shock therapy, he drenched up with water and hooked us up to low wattage shocks. He'd say a scenario and if we choose the right path we got shocked. He was trying to systematically turn us against our morals, it was horrible."

Finn was almost done, "But the weird thing is, he never once asked us for the codes... He had no way of knowing if we did or did not know what they were but he never asked. Not once..."

"Done." Fin announced, sitting back and Glancing up at him.

"Okay, lets do this." He needed Finn to help him out of his wheelchair, but once he was up he seemed to be doing good.

He used the table to support him if he wavered, but after a few moment he managed to even out his weight and stood without the table. Finn smiled at the look on his face. He was happy to walk again, it was sweet and sad all at once. He stumbled and Finn reached out to catch him, but Lightning held up his hand. He needed to learn on his own, and if he fell then he fell.

"Do you think i'll be able to race again?" And Finns heart shattered.

"Lightning..." He said quietly, trying to find the words to let him down softly.

Lightning turned to him and tried to smile, it looked tight and fake on his face, "It's fine, It doesn't really matter... I went to college, I've got something to fall back on. Racing wasn't that great anyway..."

Finn took a step forward, intent on comforting him but stopped when Lightning turned away from him completely. He stared at the wall for a while before pressing his forehead against it. There were guns lining the walls around him, and Finn had never seen him look so small.

He pulled away suddenly and began to hobble out of the room, "C'mon, lets go wait in the Plane."


	6. stars

**Since someone asked, Lightnings Prosthetic wasn't 'real' because the realistic prosthetics were very experimental, and as stated in the chapter only 2 had been in the works, and Siddeley had to pull a lot of string to even get that one. He gave it to Leland because the prosthetic had been a hand prosthetic, if it had been a leg one, it would have gone to Lightning! Hope that cleared everything up!**

* * *

One more day for Leland to get used to his hand, and they would be home.

Originally, it had been planned that they would leave for Radiator Springs immediately after his surgery, but as several bugs in the prosthetic made themselves clear, it was decided by the engineers and doctors that the best thing was for Leland to stay for overnight watch. (Finn also suggested they do a quick psychological evaluation too)

Finn had been talking to Siddeley, but had excused himself when he saw Lightning motion that he wanted to talk.

"What is it?" he asked worriedly, whenever Lightning wanted to talk it included bad news.

"Walk with me." he stated, before turning on heel and leading him away from the meeting room in the jet.

As they exited into the hangar, Lightning began to lead him to the balcony overlooking a small canyon. The railing was cold to the touch, and the night was cold, Finn couldn't figure out why Lightning led him out here.

the silence stretched on, "Lightning?" he prompted, "Weren't you going to tell me something?"

the racer sighed, "You totally missed the point of me bringing you out here." He said simply, spinning him self around to look at Finn.

"If we didn't come out here to talk then why did we come out here?"

"Damn, Finn, do you ever just take a moment for yourself?" He leaned against the railing, "All you ever do is worry about other people! Your always the hero of other peoples story, but what about your own?"

Finn didn't understand, Lightning didn't expect him to, "Look around you, Finn." He said softly, "You're always the earth and never the sun. You revolve around CHROME, and Holley, and Siddeley and Leland. You do so much, you work so hard, you deserve to take a moment and focus on yourself. take the time to smell the roses not for anyone else but for you." He stressed the 'you'.

Finn frowned, "But that doesn't explain why we're out here."

Lightning shook his head an pushed himself away from the railing. He took Finns hand and walked him to the edge of the platform and placed it on the railing, motioning for the other hand to follow, "We're out here so that you can finally take the time to look at something and really see it."

Finn stared at him blankly and Lightning laughed, "The stars, Finn. Look at the stars."

Finn frowned and cast his gaze upwards, what was so special about the stars? they were specks of floating gas thousands of light years away! But he would look for Lightnings sake. Maybe then they could go back inside.

But as he stared something seemed to change, to click and suddenly he could see. He could really see the beauty, the stillness, the everything he had been missing. He looked down at the canyon and saw the river at the bottom, he saw the glistening water and the softness of the grass. He saw everything.

Then he felt something warm take his hand from the rail, and knew instantly that Lightning was holding his hand. Slowly he curled his fingers and returned the grip. He would like to have said that his hand was cold and he only held back because Lightning was warm, but he knew that was a lie. Everyone did.

"Leland will be fine, Finn." Lightning squeezed his hand reassuringly, "Right now it's time for you."

* * *

**Small update, but i hope you like it! Yes, there is a little romance in here, but it isn't something that is going to become a big issue if you're worried about that!**

**Thank you for all the reviews! You guys rock!**


	7. Home

Being home was a relief like no one would imagine. Finn was able to relax more, but had posted guards on the edges of town to warn them if any unidentified aircraft's were coming their way, It had been three days and none had showed up.

While no drama was from outside the town, it was a mess inside. Gossip floated around like wildfire and rumors spread like the plague. What was the source of all the rumors? The most likely candidate was when Lightning walked off the ship and almost instantly broke up with Sally. He had said it had been a long time coming, and that his kidnapping just made him see how fast life could end, he had apologized and asked to still be friends. Sally... had reacted surprisingly calm. She didn't cry or get worked up or anything. Finn guessed it was because of his recent trauma, and Sally still hoped he would come to his senses. Finn knew that Lightning was aware of every move he made, there was no trauma card to pull with him.

And how Lightning ended up coming to him for a confident he will never know...

"Why Me?" He asked.

"You're the only one I can trust not to talk! Mater was pretty crap with secrets." And Finn had accepted his answer and his peace-offering of Chinese food.

So now they were in his cozy cone relaxing and talking about their problems. Occasionally they would stuff food in their mouth, but as the rice cooled their appetite crumbled.

"So, being a spy? How'd you get into the business?" Lightning had asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, how did you get into racing?" He shot back.

Lightning frowned, "I asked you first!"

"And I asked you second."

He huffed in defeat and opened his mouth to speak when there was a knock at the door, Lightning looked expectantly at Finn until he stood to go answer it.

Outside was a miffed looking Flo, "We need to talk about your little affair." She hissed through the door.

He blinked in surprise before throwing Lightning an apologetic look and letting himself out into the surprisingly cold evening. Flo looked about ready to snap his neck.

He stared at her for a few more seconds, "My what?" He finally asked.

"I don't know what you wanna call it, but that's exactly whats happening between you and Lightning!" She fumed, "You have the nerve to lure him away from Sally! And I thought Europeans were supposed to be polite!"

"Wait, what?" he stopped her rant, his voice and octave higher when faced with the outrageous accusation, "Lightning and me? Luring him away from...? What are you talking about? There's nothing going on between us!"

"Don't you lie to me! Holley told me about your little night date on the Base! He and Sally were still together back then you home wrecker!"

"Flo, I can assure you that I have no feeling for Lightning except friendship!" He smiled softly, "That night on the base was nothing, Lightning had just got his prosthetic and I was worrying myself sick over Leland. We were offering each other comfort, not propositioning each other for sex! yes, I do love Lightning, but it's the same way I love Mater and Holley and Siddeley! We're friends, and that's all."

She stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was lying or not, "Well, then how do you explain this little date?"

Finn laughed, "This isn't a date! _Someone_ has been avoiding, ignoring, and shunning him ruthlessly, and he needed someone to vent to." Flo opened her mouth to argue for Sally but he cut her off, "I know this was painful for Sally, but he does love her and her sudden absence makes him sad. He just needed a friend who wouldn't blab all his secrets."

Flo sighed, all the fight falling from her body as her shoulders drooped. He put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "I know Sally's your friend, and you want to do something or blame someone, but the best thing you can do right now is be there for her."

She nodded and smiled weakly at him, "Sorry for yelling at you."

He shook his head, "No need to apologize. I've done the same thing."

"Well, having a nice evening!" She took her leave and Finn took a moment to compose himself before pulling the door open and walking back inside.

Lightning was spread out on his back reading the first few pages from a book he found on the floor, he glanced up when Finn returned and pushed himself up onto his elbows, "What was that all about?"

Finn smiled, "Nothing important, what are you reading?"

Lightning glanced down at the cover, "'Spider Venom', you've read it?" He asked him.

Finn nodded, "Yeah, it's not very realistic to spy life."

Lightning quirked up an eyebrow, "Really? Well, why don't you teach me?"

Finn grinned, "I believe we had a deal. Tell me why you got into racing and I'll tell you why I'm into spying."

Lightning frowned, "Unfair. okay, so you know we moved around a lot and we didn't have a lot of money, which meant we didn't have a lot of the luxuries some other families had. With me and my sister's clothes we couldn't afford a TV, so instead we got a Radio. We listened to music, but I found the channel that broadcasted Racing, and for a while that was what the Radio was turned to. It was a really cool concept to me. These men got fancy cars and money just to drive around a track over and over again... so as soon as I was old enough I taught myself how to drive and got a job. For the first years I had my job I saved $30 from each paycheck for my own car, but the rest went to my family. Anyway, after I had saved enough I bought a car and started drag racing with some of the other teens in my neighborhood, and I was pretty good. After a while I got noticed and was picked up as a sponsor of Rust-eze and you know the rest. Your turn."

Finn took a moment to process the information just offered to him, "Um, okay. Well the first thing you need to know is that I'm not from England, but France. My dad was a baker, and my mom died when I was young. I don't remember how old I was, but I was riding my bike home when I got snatched off the street by a mafia kings' stooges. I was there for a few days before I managed to break out and get home, and as it turned out my father hadn't even been looking for me. He was actually waiting for me to escape, because he couldn't go to the police. When I asked why he revealed to me that he was a mafia boss and I was going to take over when he died. I was approached by a CHROME agent soon after this and they asked me to help them get solid evidence on my father. I agreed and my father ended up dying, so I joined CHROME and I've been here ever since."

Lightning nodded thoughtfully, more questions filling his mind when he suddenly jumped up, eyes on the clock. "Damn! Sorry to leave so soon, but I totally forgot I've got therapy today!" He quickly scooped up his trash, before going to leave, "See ya later, Finn!"

Finn half waved at the door as it swung shut, before pulling his open laptop out from under the bed. He probably needed to shut down his laptop more often so the password lock would appear. The codes that Zundapp wanted were on here, and he definitely couldn't let him get those.

* * *

**yay! Another chapter! Since it's still pretty close to the holidays I won't be able to update as quick, sorry about that! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	8. intermission

"Wait, wait wait!" You say, pausing him in the middle of his story, "What are you talking about? everything you're telling me isn't right!"

He grimaces at your interruption, "Why don't you just let me finish the story, huh?" he retorts.

You huff, "Everything you say is all weird! This isn't what you told the newspapers." You say matter of factly.

"Of course i didn't tell the tabloids the real story! They'd go ballistic."

Silence.

"I could go to the tabloids." You say quietly.

he raises an eyebrow skeptically, "Would they believe you?"

Anger shoots through your system, "Why tell anyone if you don't want this story known?" You half-shout, "Why tell _me_?"

Despite your anger he looks as calm as ever, staring off into the trees and watching squirrels and birds go about their lives. as your anger dissipates, You wonder what he's thinking about, but before that thought takes you far he begins to speak.

"I wish i was a bird." The topic change startles you but he continues to speak, "They are free to fly anywhere and everywhere. They are free of worries and responsibilities."

"No." You say quietly, "Nothing isn't without responsibilities and worries. A bird must worry about the coming cold and they are responsible for creating nests. Nothing is truly free."

He's very quiet, "I'm telling you my story because it's killing me to keep it in. I'm telling you my mistakes in hopes that you can understand and forgive me. I'm telling you my life because i hope you can learn from it."

You take a moment to absorb this before asking quietly, "If you changed your story for the public, then did you really have to kill-"

"Yes." He answers curtly.

You nod, "And was it really..?"

"Yes." He whispers sadly.

"Where were we?" You say, trying to shake the feeling of dread. Something important was about to happen in this story.

He smiles bitterly, "I believe we were coming up to the plot twist."

* * *

** I'm so sorry guys! I was unexpectedly taken on a trip to see family! I've gotten back recently and want to apologise how long the wait was! This is a ****_very_**** short chapter, but a full length one is coming up very soon!**

**Enjoy!**


	9. Plot Twist

Finn could say he had a sort of sixth sense when it came to catastrophes happening, but even he couldn't have predicted this.

He stared at the interior of Flo's V8 in shock. his blood turned to ice when he spotted the pool of red forming underneath a very familiar person. His heart started racing as he stumbled forward and collapsed net to his best friends fallen body. He seemed peaceful in his unconscious state, and Finn would have sworn he was sleeping if not for the blood gushing from a small stab wound on his stomach. He checked the pulse quickly as was relieved to find it was still beating, then searched for other injuries. A few swipes here and there, but whoever had been fighting him had been an amateur and it was a miracle in it's self they got a blow this damaging.

Seeing that his friend was stable, Finn turned to the nagging question in his brain. What had happened here? Flo was passed out across the floor, a cup of coffee spilled across the floor and every patron in her diner was in the same state. Some were hunched over the bar while others were strewn across the floor or spread out on table tops. Glass and food were littered all about the place when plates and mugs had been pushed off of their places as everyone in the diner had dropped unconscious. No one had shouted or yelled, no one had had the time. An empty canister sat in the center of room, whoever had done this had been strategic in where to put it to get the maximum area it could get. They had to know a lot about that sort of bomb to know where to put it.

And that's when he spotted Lightning. He was in the same state as the other patrons, but the blood seeping from his clothes and dripping down the side of his head seemed to suggest more of a struggle. He had small laceration across his body and a severe looking cut on the back of his head, as if he had hit it when he passed out, he also had a stab wound and it was in the same area Leland was too. Slowly Finn leaned over to check his pulse, but jumped when Lightnings eyes shot open and he jumped up, holding his knife up as if suspecting an attack.

"Lightning! It's me, Finn! What happened here?"

Lightning blinked a couple of times in an attempt to regain some of his wits, "Leland."

And Finn connected the dots easily. Of course he had already know that Leland was the one to blame for this event. No one knew about bombs like he did, and he would have known the exact radius for it to be most effective. He was going to tell Lightning he didn't have to say anything more, but curiosity led him to keep silent about his knowledge. He wanted to know what happened. He wanted to know every gritty detail.

"He threw... He threw a smokey thing in here and... It..." He paused and took a breath, "I wasn't inside. Everyone went down... and i came in to see? to see what happened... Leland attacked me! He attacked..."

At that moment Lightning saw Leland's body and his eyes widened, " NO no no... no...n...no." He whispered, "Finn! did I...? is he alive? Finn please is he alive? no I didn't... I didn't mean to hurt him oh no..."

Finn immediately reassured lightning, "He's alive it's okay! He's Alive!"

Lightning slumped back in relief and Finn... Finn wanted to cry. Lightning had been right about Leland all this time, and he had fought Leland in an attempt to stop his reign of terror. He had already lost so much... His hand, his sense of security, his peace of mind. All taken from him in a short time span, and it was his fault. if he had been quicker he could have kept the building from collapsing or if he had been stronger he could have fought his through the lemons in time... AN if he had been smarter he could have stopped Leland. Finn knew exactly what type of smoke bomb this was, and he knew exactly where Leland could have gotten it. When Siddeley had taken them to get their prosthetics in the weapons vault Leland must have grabbed the bomb off the wall without them noticing. How could he have been so stupid? So... stupid...

Finn began to feel woozy, and with shock realized there was another bomb slowly smoking away not to far from him. Already he could feel his limbs rejecting his commands and fear settled into his stomach. Did Leland have an accomplice? Did he call in Professor Zundapp? Finn cursed himself for not thinking to call CHROME when he first came upon the scene. He made so many mistakes, and Lightning, with all his injures wouldn't make it out of this one alive. He would bleed to death.

He felt himself being yanked up by his shirt, and thrown into a chair harshly. Icy chills went up his spine, whoever had him could kill without a fight. He was helpless. He was powerless. And no one was coming to save him. he could feel someone circling him like a shark, they would come into his sight but before he could fully focus on them they disappeared again. He wondered vaguely about how they were breathing this in without passing out.

"I've made myself immune, y'know." A voice stated simply. Finn knew that voice, but his fuzzy brain couldn't make the connection.

"It wasn't easy, but i pulled it off in just a couple of days! How great am I?" Finn concentrated on the voice hard, trying to come up with a name or a face.

"And the easiest part of this whole thing? Tricking you." The voice laughed, "How Ironic! The master spy tricked by little ol' me!" Finn need something! Anything!

And then everything clicked and Finn felt sick. He knew exactly who was talking to him and exactly how dumb he was. He should have realized it was fake blood.

Fingers wrapped around Finn's jaw and jerked his face upwards upwards. Blue met blue and Finn shivered at the malice glinting in their oceanic depth.

Finn watched as he leaned in next to his to his ear to say something only he could hear.

"I played you like a violin. _I_ took the bombs from the wall, _I_ went on your computer and got the codes, _I_ convinced you it was all Leland! and now? I'm going to kill you and take everything I've ever wanted."

He released his chin harshly and stared down at Finn.

Finn stared at him as an idea popped into his head, "I saved you once before, So spare me now." he pleaded.

Finn would never plead for anything, but he had to beg this time. He had to, or else a lot of people would get hurt.

"_Please_." He whispered, "_Please, _Lightning."

The racer curled his lip in disgust at the pathetic begging, but Finn was right. He had saved him once before and he deserved to be spared. With one swift move he slammed the butt of his knife against Finns head and knocked him out cold.

He was long gone by the time Finn finally came to.

* * *

** There it is! I was gonna wait until tomorrow to post this, but you guys have been waiting long enough! The plot twist! How horrible and unexpected it is! If anyone guessed it then wow good job! Yeahhhh hope you guys enjoy!**


	10. Public Meetings

"I'll spare you the details of the aftermath of his betrayal. Zundapp came for him and he disappeared. I was out cold for a while, and his jets are fast. By the time i was coherent enough to remember what they planned to do, it was already to late." He frowned, "The town was... devastated. Destroyed. They couldn't believe Lightning would do something like this..."

You nod thoughtfully, but he continues, "...And that's because he didn't. The Lightning everyone knows wouldn't do something as big as this, and he definitely wouldn't have before Zundapps... persuasions." Finn grimaced at the word.

"Hi Brainwashing?" you clarify. He nods.

"Any way, how about we jump right in to Lightnings first public attack?"

* * *

Lightning was different when Finn saw him again. The unhinged way he had spoken to him in the diner was replaced by a cold, calculated voice. His eyes that carried malice were devoid of anything by intelligence and his hand... Zundapp had improved his hand greatly. The regular prosthetic they had given him was replaced by a thick metal hand that moved and twitched like his other hand. So similar that if not for the metallic glint you would have never known it was fake. It was brilliantly crafted, without a sharp edge on it, who knew zundapp was capable of _that_?

But as Finn stood upon the narrow catwalk above one of the most treasured and popular theaters in the united states, he focused on more important things than the craftsmanship of a prosthetic. No, he had mush bigger problems to worry about, like the giant bomb that impeccable hand was holding out towards the audience. But Lightning wouldn't throw it, not if there was a chance he could be hurt or caught, but he was to smart to negotiate terms with a spy- especially one as good as Finn. He kept each sentence short and to the point carefully avoiding giving to much away.

"Lightning, you've got to think about all those people! What if one of them was your parents! How would you feel if-"

"I was happy when they died," Lightning cut him off, "They were nothing to me but hindrances! they wanted me to be a doctor, HA! How disappointed they were!"

"Lightning..." Finn started.

"NO! Stop saying things, Finn. I know what i'm doing is bad, I know, but you're not going to stop me. Not yet. There's a time and a place for everything, and I already have it all planned out."

Finn froze. Planned out...? Lightning had planned out his own demise? Was he that lost? was his mind that shattered to create a time and place for his own death? Oh how Finn's heart ached to help him! To fix the way he has been broken. To glue the pieces back together even if it took years to find all the pieces. He would help Lightning free from his broken identity if it was the last thing he did! He had to!

"there is a time and place for everything, Finn!" Lightning emphasized, "And it is time for a warning! For showing you and everyone else that i am serious!" He looked Finn in the eyes, a pleading look in his eyes that Finn didn't recognize.

He let the bomb drop.

Finn had thankfully had enough time to evacuate the people from the theater, and when the bomb went off it had been all clear. But Finn couldn't shake the look in Lightnings eyes. He had been begging him to... understand? no... no... he wouldn't want Finn to understand, but what did that look mean? What did any of it mean?

* * *

The second time Lightning made an appearance in public was not as nice nor as casualty-free as the first. It was the same as before. A bomb set as a warning. A hint at how destructive he could be... at how life shattering he could be. He wanted something big, and wasn't going to stop for small things. But that scariest part of it all? He didn't hide himself. He never even tried to sneak past a camera or hide in the crowds. He walked right into a full stadium with a backpack full of explosive, set it down, walked out and detonated it. the blast was small- it was just a warning after all- but it left six dead and countless wounded. He was growing bolder, but now that he was caught on tape? It was a nationwide manhunt for one man. he was well known- but the countless false alarms made them doubt the civilians credibility now. False lead after false lead was destroying Finns hope, but if they found him in time then maybe they could catch him and help him.

And when Finn met him the third time there was a sense of triumph and superiority about him. He was stronger, more sure of himself, and judging by the lemons following his every command he was more powerful, but what had happened to Zundapp? he wouldn't willingly give Lightning this much power!

And Lightning strode over smooth and easy, no bad bone in his body. He smiled at Finn warmly, "Care to talk?" He had asked simply. But they both knew the implications behind his question. Say yes and you live a little longer, say no and you'll be dead before you reach the door.

And Finn didn't exactly know how he got there in the first place. He had been following a lead through the sewers when he came upon a new steel ladder up to a manhole, and after pushing his way in he found himself in the middle of a busy factory floor. Lemons had been pushing about large mechanical machines and guns upon guns were stacked against the wall. They were planning an invasion. A massive invasion.

or maybe a massacre.

So here he was, sitting across from someone he had known so well once. Someone who had killed people and wasn't afraid to do it again, and he had the audacity to talk about the weather! Finn knew Lightning was trying to rile him up, to get his goat, to make him sloppy and unfocused and Dammit! It was _working_! He had to retaliate! He had to get under Lightnings skin while he could...

"Your parents were proud of you." Lightning slapped him so hard he saw stars.

"Now you listen, Finn, and you listen good." He had succeeded in infiltrating his calm demeanor, but now he wasn't so sure that it was a good idea, "I have kept you alive because you saved me once, but now i have plans set for you. For all of you. If you speak to me about my parents again i will be forced to remove you from those plans- which would take a few hours but i can do. Do not speak of them again, got it?"

Finn nodded surely, he had to let Lightning think he had the control of something disastrous might happen. He had to trick him like he was tricked. He had to do this for everyone.

"Do you remember what i told you in the hospital?" Lightning finally asked.

Finn remembered it clearly, _"He's still broken, Finn. He's still comatose. Who ever that Leland is in there, he isn't who you used to know. Zundapp got through to him, Zundapp changed him. He doesn't have that sense of justice he used to have. He's dark, an honestly he might not be able to be saved, and you have to accept that Finn. You have to know that if it comes down to it, you'll have to do the right thing."_

_oh_

He hadn't been talking about leland.

With a snapping sound Lightning set off the same bomb from Flos cafe and had his lemons take Finn off the premises. It looks like they would need to move locations...

Again.

He knew moving around was a part of keeping yourself from being caught, but it sure could be a hassle. Not to mention the nagging feeling in his head that something was missing. That something was wrong.

Oh well. Lightning had more important things to worry about than an odd feeling every once in a while. It's not like it mattered.

* * *

** YEyayeyaeyeee chapter whatever this is! 10, i think? idk. two-three more chapters before it's finished! How exciting! Keep reading!**


	11. Final Fight

And here we are. The final Battle.

Finn had backup at one point, but now the earpiece was gone and so were his weapons. Siddeley's plane was no where in sight and Holley's calm voice was gone, leaving him completely alone. He was on a sheer metallic box out in the middle of the ocean, win was whipping his hair all over the place and Lightning was grinning at him like a lion grinned at a mouse.

"What does this do?" he asked finally, but fear was eating at his mind.

"We could've ruled them all." He said instead, "Together."

"What?" Was he flirting with him? or just trying to psych him out?

"Oh Finn..." Lightning tutted gently, "If only you had been easier to trick... If i had tricked you into loving me, I wouldn't have to kill you, because i really don't want to kill you."

Finn let out a harsh breath, "Then don't." He said simply.

Lightning laughed and shook his head, his eyes glittered with amusement, "Don't be such a fool, Finn... Maybe if you had let me go without a fight. It would have been a whole different story... Or maybe if you had let me kill you in the diner. It would have been quick- not like now. Where i will drag out every little cut- every little burn. Oh Finn, i'm sorry but i have too."

"What does this do?" Finn asked again. He needed to keep him talking, if he kept him talking then he might have a chance.

Lightning glanced at the metal beneath his feet, then to the whipping waves all around them. It was an invention of Zundapp's and it towered 20 feet over the water and could move as fast a 90 MPH. The smooth surface left little to grip on with, and without Zundapp's shoes, Lightning was surprised Finn could even stay on.

"It kills." Lightning said bluntly, " At my word it will crush and destroy everything in it's path... and right now it's going straight for California."

"Lightning?" Finn said, "Tell me about how your sister died."

And he could see the change like day and night. Relaxed, sure shoulder stiffened and curled inwards in a defensive pose.

"It wasn't my _fault_."

Finn's heart twisted because it really wasn't Lightnings fault, but the curl of his body and the tense way he was witing for a blow made Finn conclude that his parents hadn't thought the same. He had read all about Lightning's family after his attack, and he knew Lightnings one weakness was his sister, and to be honest almost any reported had known if they took the time to research hard enough. Cases of a minor aren't made for the public's eyes, but it had all been leaked almost as soon as Lightning started growing in fame, and Finn knew with a startling certainty that Zundapp had used his involvement in his sister's death as incentive to turn to the dark side. It made Finn sick just thinking about it.

"Tell me about it." He repeated, needing for some sort of epiphany and Lightning would give it all up and let Finn help him.

"I was eight," Lightning began, "and she was six. I was just a kid i didn't know... We were on our bikes going to the park when she made me mad. It was something dumb. Like teasing me about that girl i like or saying she was going to tell on me for riding to fast. Good God i don't even remember anymore! How sick is that? I killed her and i don't even have the decency to remember why!" Lightning began to pull on his hair in anger, and Finn began to think asking about his sister was a bad idea. He was even more volatile and dangerous now.

"I left her, Finn! All by herself! I left her alone! Oh and you should have seen my mother, the look of horror on my face when i told her i left my sister halfway to the park because she was being a brat? And my Father! He was furious and upset- he yelled at me when i asked him what i did wrong. He told me i was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to protect her and now she's dead! We searched for days,, and when they finally found her? There wasn't enough salvaged to have an open casket! She was picked at by wild animals long before her body began to cool..."

Lightning burst into a fit of hysterical laughing that quickly changed into gasping hiccups as he tried to stop the flow of tears, "It was our next door neighbor. He was always around during Christmas and thanksgiving because his family shunned him like the black sheep of the family. We should have known. I should have known, but I didn't and I messed up."

Finn had been using his distraction to slowly crawl towards the edge of the cube that he knew held a ladder, but froze when Lighting turned towards him once more, "Do you know what it's like to have your mother throw thing at you saying over and over 'you killed her, you killed her!' and my father never once stood against her. He didn't do a thing. He didn't talk to me or hug me. They didn't care! So they began beating into me that my only worth was to take care of them, go to school, become a damn doctor and give them everything I had. I didn't know what to do! It's not like I could bring her back."

And Lightning jumped bolt upright with a horrible look on his face. It was like he'd just realized he was killing people.

"I'm killing you like I killed her." He whispered, and Finn had to strain his ears against the wind to hear him.

"I can't bring you back. I can't bring anyone back." He said louder this time.

"If I had given her a chance." his voice raised, "If I had given her a chance..!"

"I need to give you a chance, Finn! But how? How?"

And he disappeared into the floor only to reemerge seconds later with a revolver. The cube stopped with a harsh jerk that threw Finn off his feet and onto the cube where he quickly rolled back into a upright position. His hands held up, ready for an attack but Lightning was doing exactly what he had been doing when the Cube stopped, which was starring at the revolver like it held all the secrets of the universe, and to Lightning it probably did. The Racer crouched before sliding the gun over to the agent and backing up a few paces. He held his hands up in a defensive gesture and with pleading eyes began to explain what he was doing.

"That gun holds six rounds, five are blanks and one is real. You get three chances to hit me, and if you don't then you stop fighting me. I don't care what you do after that, go join the paramedics where you can save people or live out the rest of your life as a lonely old cat dude, but you have to stop." He said.

Finn stared down at the gun in his hands for a long time, "What if I don't stop at three shots? What if I empty the whole thing?"

"Then I guess i'll be getting what I deserve." Lightning said simply.

Finn flipped out the barrel, spun it and locked it back into place. Raising it into the air he aimed at his chest and fired.

Lightning stood untouched, and with another quick move Finn had the gun trained on him again, and this time it wasn't a blank. With one sure shot the bullet landed true and blood began to gush. With a jerk the cube rushed into action. The bullet had fallen a little short, and instead of a kill shot it made Lightning staggered back, the speed of the cube making him even more unbalanced as he clutched at his chest. Blood seeped from his fingers and his eyes widened as his left foot slipped from the edge of the cube, and even thought Finn was to far away to catch him he still held out his hands. He saw terror in Lightning's eyes. He feared death, but in those depths was relief. He wanted to be free of the wrongness in his mind. He was grateful to escape the guilt.

His body disappeared from the edge and for a few sad seconds the cube plowed on before it finally slowed to a stop. Lightning ha hung on for more than a few seconds when his body had hit the water and Finn knew he had been in so much pain when he died, and as he gazed out into the ocean he saw no sign of a body, but at the speed they were going he was probably dragged under and into the deep by the waves. They wouldn't be able to bury him like he should be.

He could see no planes in sight, but he knew Siddeley would find them eventually, so he took a moment to sit down and cry for someone he hadn't been able to save. He took a moment to cry for everyone he hadn't been able to save.

He could hear the waves all around him.

* * *

**Epilogue up next, which is the last chapter of metallic! It's been a great story to write for you guys, and i'm sad it has to come to an end!**


	12. Epilogue

"You can't save everyone." it may be the worst way to try and cheer someone up, but you never were really good at dealing with matters of the heart. You frown at him in sadness. it was terrible had kill his friend, and to make it worse he was hailed as a hero for taking another beings life. It must be killing him.

He smile was strained, "I've heard that more than you can count, and I know I can't save them all.. but i just wish I could've saved him."

You nod In understanding, and think about his story for a long time. You analyze and categorize each detail and smile when you realize your mother was right about your over thinking things, but now that you've started you can't stop so quick, and thin was something that you could over think. SO you thought about all the mistakes he had made... Not talking to Leland, for one. Talking with him would have cleared up a lot of things, like how he didn't want to kill anyone and most likely the truth behind their time with Zundapp, ans you have no doubt that Lightning was not telling the truth about most of it. And the fake blood! He was a spy for Christs sake, how could he not see the difference?

You shake your head and sigh, "I can't believe you couldn't tell between real and fake blood."

He looks insulted, "I was slightly drugged when that happened, the previous bomb hadn't completely dissipated yet!"

"Yeah I know," You shrug, "But If you were fooled once, don't you think you can be fooled again?"

You glance down at your watch and jump up in a panic, you have work in twenty minutes! You had most of the day off, but you didn't think his story would have taken this long! You gather up your stiff in a rush and ramble something about work and that you can't be late or you'll be fired and that you couldn't get fired because what about the rent! With a quick goodbye you begin to speed-walk your way home while simultaneously cursing at yourself for picking a reading spot that's forever away from your house you idiot! You curse yourself a little more for taking a chunk out of your day to listen to a story from a stranger, but secretly you know you wouldn't have wanted to do anything else but listen to that story.

In your haste you don't realize what you have done. He sits stock still and if you don't look closely you wouldn't be able to tell he was breathing. His world has stopped and shattered all around him.

Fake blood fooled him once, and it could fool him again.

The gun had been filled with six blanks. there hadn't been a bullet, but there had been a blood packet in his shirt. Lightning had been leaning on the hope that Finn wouldn't look in the gun, he had been hoping that Finn would play along. And if he had already had the gun ready, then he had known about Finn going through his files- hell, Zundapp had probably built a machine that could monitor it- and he had been counting on Finn bringing it up. He had been _waiting_ for it.

He wanted to curl up in a dark corner a die. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been so careless? How could he have been so gullible? Had he wanted so badly to believe his fight with Lightning was done that he had stopped himself from seeing anything but an escape from the horror of this endless struggle?

an itching sense of hope wiggled at the back of his mind. It's been months and He hasn't made a move to hurt anybody, could it be that he gave it up? That he repented after his dip in the ocean and was starting up a new life hopefully far away from america? He wanted Lightning to be happy and far away. He wanted Lightning to not live in fear of CHROME looking for him, but if Finn was wrong... He couldn't take the chance of Lightning rising up to destroy again. He had to warn CHROME. He had to warn Radiator Springs.

Standing from his chair Finn pulled out his phone and began to make a few calls.

* * *

**The End! This is it, the final chapter of Metallic! I know it's sad to see it go, but don't we love to watch a new story take it's place? Like maybe a sequel? Don't expect one too soon! I hope you all enjoyed my story! 3**


End file.
